Dr. Tarek Shahbandar
Anesthesiology
Merrillville, IN
24 years experience male
Locations
Pain Physicians of Indiana
Merrillville, IN
Phone
Practice website
Insurances accepted
BCS Insurance Company
CIGNA Health Care
UMR
United HealthCare Insurance Company
Medicare
Zurich North America
Office
Merrillville, IN
About
Bio
Residency at Cleveland Clinic
Fellowship at Cleveland Clinic
Board certified in Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine
Taught at University of Illinois as an assistant professor
Founder of pain physicians of Indiana
www.pp-in.com
SpecialtiesDoctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Doctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Anesthesiology
Pain Management
Licenses
United States: Indiana
Languages spoken
Arabic
Doctor Q&A
204 Answers
130 Agrees
The number of answers this doctor has agreed with.
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Inflammation : Arachnoiditis is inflammation of one of the layers of meninges that surround the spine and or brain. Few patients develop this condition after proced... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Or is stressful: For many patients, entering the or is stressful so anesthesiologist give a little anxiolytics and even an analgesic like versed and fentanyl before en... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 24-year-old male asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Depends: Usually, spinal anesthetic is better for C-section because a full term woman has airway risks when trying to place a breathing tube for general anesth... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Histamine: Why opioids cause pruritis (itching) is partly because they cause a release of histamine which can make you feel itchy. It is a common side effect of... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 40-year-old member asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Not affective : We used to do epiduroscopy but it was found to be ineffective. Sometimes scar tissue is removed if it is causing neurological dysfunction. Unfortuna... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Depends on cause: Epidurals often help back pain if you have a disk herniation and you have pain shooting down the leg or legs. If most of the pain is coming from join... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 46-year-old member asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Med school: Anesthesiologist go through medical school and then do at least four more years of training to finish an internship and residency. Nurse anesthetists... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A male asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Image guidance: Epidurals don't always work, especially if you only have back pain and no leg pain. They are more likely to work when they are done with image guidan... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 55-year-old female asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Therapy: For rsd or crps it is important to go through desensitization therapy where the therapists uses various touch modalities to teach your sensory system... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 26-year-old male asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Don't always work: Nerve blocks help with various pains. They can help diagnose certain pain syndromes as well. Unfortunately, they do not always work. Be careful not... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 31-year-old male asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Minimal: There is a very minimal chance of choking on your tongue since your dentist will be working in you mouth and she or he could pull your tongue forward.... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 27-year-old female asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Many: There are many causes of back pain but the most common cause is lumbar strain. We need more information to determine the cause. If its effecting his... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 53-year-old female asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Sitting: Your pain is typical of someone who has degenerated disks. There are many treatment options. Start with physical therapy and nsaids... There are man... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 54-year-old female asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Back or circulation : There are multiple causes for your leg pain. Could be wear and tear from increased activity, circulation problems like a blood clot or even a lumbar ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 36-year-old member asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Burning tingling: Arachnoiditis of lumbar spine can cause burning and sharp pain down one or both of the lower extremeties. Some people get sensory dysfunction which m... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A female asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Choice: There are many choices of anesthesia. If i were doing your anesthesia, i'd do a "deep mac" where you would be completely asleep but breathing on your... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old female asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Get it checked out: It could be from your shoulder but you should take this pain seriously. There is a slight chance it is coming from your heart. It's a good idea to g... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 30-year-old female asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Muscle joint or nerv: This groin pain could be from your hip, from a pinched nerve in your back or in your groin, a pulled muscle or a number of other things. If it is de... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 36-year-old male asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Ignore: Goal of pain management is to reduce pain while reducing addicting narcotics if possible.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 34-year-old female asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Many: This type of pain could be from lumbar strain, sacro-iliac joint dysfunction, arthritic pain or many other possibilities. There may be a simple treat... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Therapy, symp blocks: Rsd is treated with desensitization physical therapy. Sympathetic blocks may help treat the disease earlier on in its course but must be done with th... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 53-year-old female asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
About. 7 to 8 hours: Usually it takes 7 or 8 hours until it works... Also Duragesic (fentanyl) stays in your system for 7 to 8 hours after you stop it. Be careful with Du... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 23-year-old female asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Sympathectomy: Lumbar sympathetic block stops the sympathetic supply to your lower extremities and stellate ganglion block does the same to the upper extremities. Th... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A member asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Desensitize: I practice allopathic medicine but one of the most important treatments for rsd or crps is therapy, especially desensitization therapy and that does ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 68-year-old female asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Neck?: If you are having a cervical epidural (i.e. An epidural in your neck) it is possible to lose your voice if a local anesthetic is being used. It can ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old female asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Id: Tell the doctor who did the epidural. It may be coincidence. You might want to talk about it with your primary care doctor or see an infectious dise... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 31-year-old member asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Weight: The weight can strain the back and cause poor posture.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 26-year-old female asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Yes: Headache is a common side effect of tramadol. See if your headache goes away when you stop it and talk to you doctor about it.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 21-year-old male asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Yes : They are different meds. Both meds are considered opioids and work on the mu receptor in different ways. Codeine gets broken down to morphine in you... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 25-year-old female asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Should not paralyze: The epidural steroid should not "cut" or cause paralysis. Saline is sometimes added to the solution which can act to "wash out" the epidural space.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 33-year-old member asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Monitoring : If you are properly monitored by a qualified health care professional its safe, otherwise it can cause hypoxia (low oxygen levels) especially at high... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 48-year-old member asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Inflammation : Arachnoiditis is inflammation of one of the layers of meninges that surround the spine and or brain. Few patients develop this condition after proced... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 45-year-old member asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Zofran (ondansetron)?: I'm assuming you mean zofran (ondansetron) which is actually an anti-nausea medicine. These pain pills can cause nausea and vomiting as a side effect... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 25-year-old female asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Get EMG: Issue could be from disk herniation or spinal stenosis (the reason you went to get epidural). There are very rare complications from epidural that co... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old male asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Most likely...: Most likely you have lumbar strain but it still could be something else... If the pain gets worse, starts shooting down a leg or doesn't go away, see ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 51-year-old female asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Depends on cause: Most common cause of back pain is from lumbar strain which can be treated conservatively as you are doing. If the pain continues or is severe, you sh... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 54-year-old female asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Non-opioids: For the burning pain associated with arachnoiditis, non-opioid pain meds may work better like membrane stabilizers (gabapentin) or some anti-depressen... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 35-year-old female asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Intercostal neural..: You could have intercostal neuralgia where the nerve under the rib has been irritated or bruised and that would not show up on imaging studies. It ca... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 30-year-old female asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Disc: A number of things could cause these symptoms. It could be from a bulging or herniated disk in your neck or a number of other things. You would need... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 32-year-old female asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
May be better choice: Taking narcotics for acute pain is not "bad". There may be better choices, though. 2 vicodins contains up to 1000 mg of tylenol (acetaminophen) so y... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
AA: Try stopping 1/2 pill to one pill every few days so you don't go into withdrawal. Talk to alcoholics anonymous as well. I still advise you see a det... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 36-year-old member asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Med school: Anesthesiologist go through medical school and then do at least four more years of training to finish an internship and residency. Nurse anesthetists... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 28-year-old male asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Spinal opioid: We use opioids in the epidural or the spinal space (sub arachnoid space) for acute pain management to help patients recover from post surgical pain a... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Combo: Many patients with severe chronic pain require a combination of meds (non-opioid). Examples may be nsaids like Naproxen or toradol, membrane stabiliz... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 43-year-old member asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
See detox: You should see a detoxification specialist. These drugs are all addicting and you will need help. It's not a good idea to use one to help you get ov... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 23-year-old male asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Scoliosis : Uneven shoulders could mean you have scoliosis. The point tenderness radiating to your neck from the shoulder could be from muscle or soft tissue cal... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 45-year-old member asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
A lot of pain: It would be a painful procedure. Some kind of anesthetic would be beneficial. The doctor would have a lot easier time extracting the teeth if the pa... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 27-year-old male asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Common: Back and neck pain are very common. In fact, back pain is the second most common reason a patient sees a doctor. Common causes of neck or back pain ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 22-year-old female asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Baclofen: Baclofen can be used for muscle spasms. Sometimes an intrathecal pump is used with opioids as well for uncontrolled pain when someone is not respondi... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 35-year-old member asked:
Dr. Tarek Shahbandaranswered
Anesthesiology 24 years experience
Claustrophobic : Usually for this type of surgery a general anesthetic is not necessary unless you have severe phobia. Your doctor may use light sedation and local an... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
TestimonialsRecommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
Recommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
4
Recommendations
305
Thank you notes
Feb 18, 2013
Excellent outcomes treating patients with acute herpes Zoster of the face by doing a stellate ganglion block. Saves these patients a lot of pain and recovery time.
Feb 21, 2013
Consider this well trained physician to be your physician! You'll be hard pressed to find one like him.
HealthTap member
Mar 30, 2015
Dr. Shahbandar is an amazing doctor! #nationaldoctorsday2015 #virtualflower1
HealthTap member
Thank you, your answer was very helpful! Thank you very much for your answer and for being a part of this service. It's so helpful and saves me from taking up dr time w/ a Q visit.
HealthTap member
Thanks for your quick reply! the pain has started to reduced in these 2 days..however when he stays in 1 position (while he sits or sleeps the pain will comes again..)
HealthTap member
We used to use isobaric Bupivaca 0.125% for postoperative analgesia (with syringe pump for about 12 hours). What is your typical opioid use?
Education & Training
Medical/Graduate school
MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN
Graduated 1999MD
Medical/Graduate school
Medical College of Wisconsin, WI
Graduated 1999MD
Residency
CLEVELAND CLINIC
Awards
Top Doctor, First Place, Gary, IN - Winter
2013
Most Influential, Second Place, Gary, IN - Winter
2013
Thought Leader, First Place, Gary, IN - Winter
2013
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